Scan barcode
livingdeadenby's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
wandererzarina's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
hail_freyr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
pamwinkler's review
4.0
Listened to a lot of these before.
The Judge's House by Bram Stoker was good.
To Be Taken With a Grain of Salt by Charles Dickens was good, and new to me.
The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford is still good.
I didn't like Narrative of the Ghost of a Hand much.
The Furnished Room by O. Henry is good.
The Open Window by Saki is good.
Called by P.C. Wren was very good, and new to me.
Overall, a good collection.
The Judge's House by Bram Stoker was good.
To Be Taken With a Grain of Salt by Charles Dickens was good, and new to me.
The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford is still good.
I didn't like Narrative of the Ghost of a Hand much.
The Furnished Room by O. Henry is good.
The Open Window by Saki is good.
Called by P.C. Wren was very good, and new to me.
Overall, a good collection.
smjackson29's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
brandy777's review against another edition
3.0
My favorite of the 4 stories was the one with the painting engraving that had the figure kidnap the baby.
jamiezaccaria's review against another edition
4.0
M.R. James is a fantastic horror writer! He has a very specific style that I find comfortable when it comes to story-telling. I'll definitely be checking out his other works.
mangelwurzel's review against another edition
5.0
So good, The Mezzotint and Whistle and I'll Come To You My Lad, especially. Nightmares for days.
emilo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Violence, Sexism, and Murder
mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up because [a:Michael Chabon|2715|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1515875672p2/2715.jpg] waxed rhapsodically about the short story " 'Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad' " in his collection of essays [b:Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands|1844499|Maps and Legends Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328694310s/1844499.jpg|2905134]. I wasn't that taken by the story, but I found M. R. James's work to be an intriguing look at 19th century horror. A few takeaways:
1) Almost every story starts with a researcher, an academic, a professor, etc... looking into something that best not be looked upon. Often, the start of the research is benign enough (with one protagonist working on a travel guide of the Danish Isles!), but eventually something nasty appears. Nothing is ever as dark and foreboding as reading the Necronomicon, and I think the stories work better as a result --- you often ease into the horror slowly.
2) The pacing is absolutely not what I expect from current horror. The stories are often quite short, with little time spent between the the climax and the denouement. Indeed, you are often left unsure of what did actually happen. There's not the current obsession of detailing the origin of every monster out there. James just wants you to read about the monster (with the researcher), see the monster briefly, get a very small dose of resolution, and then finish.
Of the stories included, I most enjoyed "Lost Hearts" (with a fine sense of supernatural justice) and "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" (the longest piece, detailing greed, code-breaking, and a quite spooky antagonist).
1) Almost every story starts with a researcher, an academic, a professor, etc... looking into something that best not be looked upon. Often, the start of the research is benign enough (with one protagonist working on a travel guide of the Danish Isles!), but eventually something nasty appears. Nothing is ever as dark and foreboding as reading the Necronomicon, and I think the stories work better as a result --- you often ease into the horror slowly.
2) The pacing is absolutely not what I expect from current horror. The stories are often quite short, with little time spent between the the climax and the denouement. Indeed, you are often left unsure of what did actually happen. There's not the current obsession of detailing the origin of every monster out there. James just wants you to read about the monster (with the researcher), see the monster briefly, get a very small dose of resolution, and then finish.
Of the stories included, I most enjoyed "Lost Hearts" (with a fine sense of supernatural justice) and "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" (the longest piece, detailing greed, code-breaking, and a quite spooky antagonist).